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[2286]

I have been made aware of a sankey trailer for sale locally.

It is totally standard and has the large ring hitch intended for use with a nato hook or hitch?

I do not have such a coupling, my vehicle is fitted with a dixon bate 50mm ball and jaw pintle combination.

Can anyone please tell me the ring hitch dimensions inner and outer diameter and thickness.

Does anyone know if it is legal or safe to tow a sankey on road with a combination hitch and not a nato hook?

Is the combination hitch jaw large enough to accommodate the sankey ring and let it function as it should.

I think from memory the one on the back of the land rover has a 50mm ball on the end of the shared pin for the jaw, the one on the front is more recent and has the 50mm ball fixed and a separate removable pin.

I know nato hooks sell for more than the trailers!

I remember the days when sankeys had a nato hook on the back for coupling another one to it, for that mini road train effect.

 

[angello]

I was told a NATO ring hitch is too thick to fit a standard jaw pintle hitch. The thickness of the ring prevents the pin fitting.... I haven't physically tried personally. There used to be adaptors available to fit a 50mm ball hitch to a NATO ring.

[Wittsend]

I know nato hooks sell for more than the trailers!

I remember the days when sankeys had a nato hook on the back for coupling another one to it, for that mini road train effect.

I have a NATO hitch for sale - £40 that I'm selling on behalf of a member. They are heavy and I'm not inclined to post or courier, buyer collects or some sort of forum relay.







Note, it's not the swively type - not really needed on the road.


Way back at the 2006 annual club rally a member demonstrated the Sankey trailer train with 3 linked up behind his 109 FFR. Sadly I can't find a picture of this (rare) event 

[martinthefirst]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLAJ47991d8

[Wittsend]

That's just showing off 

[Genem]

As far as I'm aware none of the alternatives work properly, (or even at all) with a "Sankey" trailer other than the proper NATO hitch. Alan's one is an early version and would look good on an early vehicle. As a "fixed" version its fine with a "narrow track" early trailer, with a swivelling ring. Not recommended with a later "wide-track" version which needs a swivelling hitch.

Bradley still make the NATO hitch btw. 

[Herald1360]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLAJ47991d8

Bet he couldn't reverse it!

[fv1620]

That tow hitch for sale in its present state was considered dangerous & requires two modifications.

In the event of the Mills pin failing the catch operating lever could slide out. A new thicker washer was to be welded to the end of the catch operating lever. EMER VEHICLES GENERAL U 207 Mod Instr No.1 March 1955

Replacing the trigger catch Mills pin from 3/16" diam to 1/4" & building up the hook entrance to resist the towing eye from sliding upwards. EMER GENERAL U 207 Mod Instr No.2 December 1955

I have diagrams if anyone wants to do the mods.

[fv1620]

Can anyone please tell me the ring hitch dimensions inner and outer diameter and thickness.

This is from Defence Standard 25-6/Issue 3  Nov 1973 Towing Vehicles and Towed Equipment. Although curiously was withdrawn Aug 2000.

[2286]

Many thanks all, particularly fv for the technical drawing which is exactly what I needed to know.

I read my 1971 sankey manual and it has all sorts of user data, like 45mph max speed, fixed hook only, 400kg unladen!

Are the swiveling type intended for fixed draw bar item only, hence them having a lock off?

[fv1620]

A trailer with a swivelling eye must be towed by a non-swivelling hitch.

A trailer with a non-swivelling eye must be towed by a swivelling hitch.

The later NATO hitches have the option to swivel or not swivel & to ensure that it doesn't swivel when it isn't meant to, the latching mechanism must be engaged with its large pin & retained a with a small R-clip.

Whatever swivel arrangement the jaws must be locked closed with a pin. This used to be a large R-clip but this no longer acceptable as latching pin must be used so that it can't accidentally get knocked or vibrated out of position. These safety clips are often referred to as "nappy pins". 

[Exile]

I remember the days when sankeys had a nato hook on the back for coupling another one to it, for that mini road train effect.

I stand to be corrected, but certainly my 1953 narrow track doesn't have a NATO hitch on the back, nor do those in the "road train" video.

[w3526602]

Hi.

In a previous existence.I cobbled up a "thingy" that bolted under my Sankey's draw bar using the original bolt holes. A length of steel pipe projected forward to hold a standard 50mm coupling. Bolting the hitch under the trainer draw-bar meant it was about the right height for my Landy's dropped tow-ball. It got me to France (Swansea to St Malo via Dover/Calais.

As the brakes were no longer operable, I stripped of all the rods and whipple-tree/swngle ttree ... everything was rusted solid anyway.

My understanding is that a small Sankey had a MGW of 1250kg, and my local scrapyard weighed it for me ... 400kg unladed. Un unbraked trailer may not weigh more than 750kg, so I had a payload of 350kg, which I suspect is more than you should carry in the back of your SWB.  I also weighed my 1957 S1 (Marsland S3 chassis and S2 engine, with home brewed bulkhead. A google for
FEU254 IMAGES should find it, although a later owner painted it red. Note the lack of bulkhead vents). Memory says FEU  tipped the scales at a smidgen over 1400kg, so she was limited to a trailer with 700kg ULW.

My understanding (but hey, what do I know) is that a ring-hitch should pull on the pin, and over-run against the "bottom" of the yoke ... it tends to get clunky.

I'm happy to be corrected.

602

PS... I understand that a standard Sankey hitch can be mounted under the draw-bar, allowing standard civvy fork to be bolted to a Landy drop-plate. Discuss!

[2286]

With the ring dimensions committed to memory I had a measure up and the combination hitch will not accept the ring.

The pin to rear face being less than 40mm.

I do have a pintle only if I can remember where!  But the pin is 1 inch at most.

Re nato hook, I am reluctant to have 3 type of hitch.  I have seen folks in the past that have a nato on a separate bracket to interchange with the adjustable drop plate.

Re ride height is the sankey designed to be level or there abouts assuming hook is bolted directly to cross member without drop plate, tow vehicle has 7.50s and trailer has 6.50.

602 I think i have seen these adapted to take a 50mm hitch, a sandwich type arrangement.

On the subject of sankey brakes are ANY parts common to swb land rover or a thwaites dumper, the mechanical expanders adjusters and shoes?

I had a glance at a military land rovers book and noted a red arrows lightweight with a 4 height position fixed pintle, would this be for taxi ing aircraft not towing trailers?

[Clifford Pope]

I stand to be corrected, but certainly my 1953 narrow track doesn't have a NATO hitch on the back, nor do those in the "road train" video.

I suppose if you were really pulling a train of trailers, or even just two trailers, you wouldn't be going seriously off-road where you would need the angle to articulate with a swivelling hitch?